Meta

Archive for April, 2012

Last Friday’s intercultural meeting was not only a great opportunity for the Portuguese students, but for us as well. I was really impressed with the amount of English and American culture that the kids knew. It blew me away that they knew what baseball was and that one (I believe it was Joao) has actually been playing out here. It was awesome taking a tour of the school and getting an idea of what it would have been like growing up as a kid here. I hope our trip there encourages everyone to keep practicing their English and hopefully make it out to the United States someday!

Through the ability of having this intercultural meeting with the students it opened my eyes to see the other side of my learning abroad in Portugal. It allowed me to see and help students learn about and practice their English the same way I look for help in my studies in Portuguese. The students were all so compassionate and well-mannered it was a pleasure to be able to gain this experience as I have a passion for volunteer work and also helping youth. The pleasure was mine as the students taught me as much as I taught them. I would gladly come back and enjoy spending more time with the students whenever the opportunity may occur. Thank you for granting me this opportunity.

Kayla

I enjoyed working, and getting to know all of the students. When I first heard them speak, I was in amazement by how good their English was. I wish my Portuguese was as good as their English. This experience made me want to be a teacher even more. Thank you for givng me this opporunity, I had a great time. I learned alot from these students. Also, Thank you for the food it was very good!Thanks,

Carlota- I enjoyed this experience very much. I think it was so important to become richer and, in a way, multicultural because we shared and learned new habits and traditions and we spent the afternoon in a funny and creative way.It was good to improve my English and to learn about life outside Portugal. Our guests are amazing people and I had such a great time. I want to repeat that magic and enriching afternoon. Thank you

Marta Ferreira- Not many people have the opportunity we had, being able to meet such extraordinary people in just one afternoon. We can almost say it was a dream come true because opportunities like these happen once in a lifetime. It was a great afternoon and I could say it was a “grandious moment” we all had the chance to share. I’m sure it will be in our memory even if we don’t realize it now, so I’m grateful for this.

Ana Rita –The intercultural meeting was a very enriching experience. It was possible to meet the American students, learn about them (what they like to do, where they come from, what they’re doing here in Portugal, how their life is in America, what their wishes are). They shared with us what they think about Portugal and the Portuguese. It was also very good to practise our English.

Rita – This experience was amazing and the American students are fantastic people.It was a big and great adventure. I don’t have words to describe how important these moments were.For me it was a big surprise and privilege. Having the need to communicate forced me to break barriers and the VIP students were a great help.

Ana Filipa- Last Friday was amazing! I loved this event so much because it allowed me to contact with American students with wonderful stories, life experiences and customs. I loved all the American students, but specially Emma because we worked with her and she was very kind to us. Obviously I loved all the other students as well. I hope we can repeat the experience because it was rewarding and special.

Nicole – I enjoyed this experience very much because everyone was very nice.It was important for me to talk to people with different cultures. I liked it very much!

Patrícia – I’d like to thank you for the time you spent with us. It was an enjoyable afternoon because I met amazing people amd learned about a new culture. It’s a good way to study and practse English. Plesse come back to our class. Thank you so much.

Vasco – From my point of view this was an amazing experience. I had a lot of fun meeting the American students.I was amazed at how nice they were and I learned a lot about American culture. For example, in America you can only drink alcohol when you’re 21 but you can learn to drive when you’re 15.

Marta Vinagre – Being with the American students was amazing.We spent a great time learning about other culture and countries and different experiences. Each student was special, really kind, friendly and nice. We had the chance to know Emma a little better. She is a really sweet girl, always smiling and ready to discuss all subjects with us. I wish they come back soon so that I can know them a little better and I’d love to be with Emma again.

Ivan – I really liked it!

Catarina – I am glad to have had the opportunity to communicate with American students and to know a little more abpout their lives, goals and other curiosities such as what they think about Portugal or differences between our country and theirs. This experience was really cool and helped me see the world and new perspectives about the future. Despite being all from the USA, it was funny to notice all the different accents they had. It was great and I wish they could all come back.

Rui – Last Friday we welcomed in our class American students that are currently studying in Portugal. We talked to them, learned about their culture and helped them understand ours. It was a very funny and rewarding experience.

João Oliveira – Last Friday we had a great time meeting all the American students. I think that all of them were really nice. Learning about American culture was awesome but it was also great to teach a little of our own. All the students were really nice and I hope they come back to see us again.

Pedro Costa – Last Friday was a very pleasant day. Meeting the American students was a good experience and I wouldn’t mind repeating it. All of them were nice people, easy to talk with and funny. What an enjoyable experience!

Petru – In my opinion, the event was interesting. I didn’t get the chance to talk to all of them but I got the idea that they were all very nice. I admire the American culture, especially as regards sports. Having the opportunity to share my opinion with them was amazing.

Daniel – This was a thrilling and fun experience. I learned a lot about them and that’s because they’re easy to talk to, nice and kind-hearted. Thank you for accepting our invitation to come. It meant a lot to me.

Edgar – There are so many things we can say about the meeting. It was a very useful and funny day.When I was walking to the room, I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to speak to the guests, but in the end I think I passed on this test. It was a unique experience and we improved our English fluency and comprehension. We learned about a new culture, new people and we understood that behind the distance between us, we are the same people with similar interests and likes. I hope we can meet again.

Diogo Oliveira – After spending an amazing afternoon talking to plenty of North-American students that are currently studying and graduating in Portugal, I can now understand how much this experience has contributed to me. By meeting this group we got the opportunity to interact with students that have different origins in terms of culture and education and learn how much we are alike despite growing in such different places. The differences that we believed that existed were none in reality. Overall: a great learning experience that should definitely be repeated soon.

Gustavo– It’s such a shame that I couldn’t attend the class. I heard it was very pleasant and a very different and enriching experience.

Diogo Domingues – My teachers asked us to comment on what happened last Friday when the American students came to spend the afternoon with us. I have to admit I was not expecting such kindness from our American colleagues but I’m glad because I liked what I saw. In 2/3 hours I made new friends. It was a nice experience I’ll always remember. We discussed a lot of topics such as the American and Portuguese educational system or the American/Portuguese life style. I wish more students could have this opportunity so that they could learn about life across the ocean.

Carolina– When teachers told us about the intercultural meeting some weeks ago, I couldn’t even imagine how enriching and rewarding it would be. I thought it would be a simple and formal conversation with students but it wasn’t. Besides the fact that we were practising this idiom and improving our skills with them, I believe we all realised how far we can go and the huge capacities wehave. One of the things I appreciated the most was the relaxed, friendly and enjoyable atmosphere we created between them and us.It seemed like we were a group of friends talking and sharing our life experiences. To end, I would like to thank the American students for spending this time with us and for being such lovely people and thank you, teachers, for the experience we’ve been through.

João Albano– Last Friday I had a unique experience. In the afternoon, we spoke to North- American students. With this amazing opportunity it was possible to discover some differences between the North-american and Portuguese cultures. We talked about our educational system and sports. Im the USA baseball and football are the most famous sporta whereas in Portugal we love soccer.Sports play an important role in the American society, taht’s why you can get a sports scholarship there to attend university.In Portugal, scholarhips are given to students according to their marks. But our class wasn’t just sitting and listening, we also showed our school to the students. I enjoyed this experience very much. I learned about USA and their culture.

Rúben- Last Friday I spent a great time with all the students. It was a very rewarding activity in which I could learn a lot and share all my thoughts and experiences. It was really worth it. I had never taken part in an intercultural exchange and it was a unique experience. I could practise my English and learn about different aspects of the USA and other countries. Emma was the person I spent more time with. She was a really kind person, very happy and all together we managed to spend an amazing time.I hope we can meet again and get to know the students better. I’d like to thank the teachers and the American students because nothing would be possible without their enthusiasm and will. I can’t find the right words to express the feelings I experienced. It was simply amazing!

Last Friday we had a wonderful day thanks to a group of North-American students that visited our English class at Fernão Mendes Pinto.Harmony, Arlene, Bobby, Kayla, Emma, Max, Gabby and Chloe come from different parts of the USA and are currently studying in Portugal in Universidade Nova. They spent the afternoon with 11º3 and there was time to talk, laugh, learn, have fun, discover new things about both countries and just enjoy the chance of being part of an intercultural meeting.

Thank you all for this enriching, rewarding and unforgettable experience! Check the photos

Here’s what some of our guests wrote:

Living in Portugal thus far has meant many essays, museums, and grammar classes, so it was wonderful to get out and speak with Portuguese and get out of the pattern of reading everything from a textbook. The fact that the Portuguese in question were amazingly approachable, intelligent and sweet teenagers was just an added bonus, but one that got me thinking. If I learned so much about Portugal through just a few hours of talk (we discussed everything from the Portuguese educational system to dessert recipes to nightlife in Lisbon), how much more could possibly be learned from a sustained interchange relationship? Besides wanting very much to return to the school to see ‘my group’, it reinforced for me exactly how important exchanges are for cultural understanding. With all of our backgrounds (Romania, Portugal, Guinea-Bissau, Dominican Republic, etc.) I felt like I was taking part in an informal, hugely enjoyable meeting of the United Nations.

Emma

It was truly a pleasure to spend some quality time with your students. They were extremely eager to find out about us and their excitement was contagious! You were right, they are all amazing students and they should all be very proud of their proficiency in English. They all have extremely bright futures ahead of them. Thank you for allowing us to be part of this amazing journey with the students. It is experiences like these that one remembers for a lifetime. I look forward to working with you and the school in the future!

Best of Wishes,

Arlene Sanchez

I understand the struggles of learning a language and when you move to a foreign country and don’t know the language, you can feel pretty helpless. I did, until this experience. This opportunity has satisfied every helpful feeling in my body as well as my every wish of sharing, caring, learning, and especially inspiring. Working with the high school was one of the most inspirational experiences in my travels thus far!! They helped me and I helped them; a truly cultural exchange! Language has always been a struggle for me, but these kids dive in everyday and were comfortable speaking with complete strangers! I am truly inspired to keep pushing for my language skills and keep sharing the ones I have! Thank you all for sharing this experience with me!